MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has been covering Major League Baseball since 1981 and is the author of "Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Cubs." You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Here, she blogs about the Cubs.

12/23 Cubs search for Santo replacement

The Cubs and WGN Radio have begun their search to find a new analyst to partner with play-by-play man Pat Hughes and fill Ron Santo’s seat in the booth. Santo died Dec. 3. He was 70.

“We wanted to do this as respectfully as we could,” WGN-AM 720 sports director Dave Eanet told the Chicago Tribune. “It’s not something we wanted to plunge right into. But we’re not too far from Spring Training and there is a vacant seat in the booth. Having said that, we know we’re not going to replace Ron Santo.”

The Cubs and WGN will work together in the search. Hughes, who received a five-year extension through the 2015 season on Monday, has been consulted. Eanet said they hope to have a decision in time for the Cubs Convention, Jan. 14-16 at the Hilton Chicago.

The job description on the Tribune Co.’s website says the preferred candidate will have played with the Cubs or have played Major League baseball with previous broadcast experience as a game analyst. Eanet said it’s not a prerequisite that Santo’s replacement be a former Cubs player.

Mark Grace said recently that the Cubs have great TV commentators. He said that Brenly is great at what he does. Is there a big difference in money, work load or prestige if you are on the radio and do the same thing as a color analyst? We need Mark Grace back where he belongs and where I think his heart is – with Chicago Cubs.

Grace and Sutcliffe are terrific broadcasters, but they primarily do television work. Remember, this is radio. Grace and Sutcliffe both have had national exposure via FOX TV and ESPN, respectively. They may not want to be the “voice” rather than the “face” of the team.

i think doug glanville would be an excellent choice, he is articulate thoughtful and enthusiastic…and a former cub ( who does a great harry caray impersonation) no one could ever replace santo,,whom i listented to daily on the internet radio way out here in nowhere. santo was a fan first and foremost. we need a fan a friend and great person to inspire us as ronnie did for so long

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